European Indoor Championships - Belgrade 4th-5th March

Djoucer

John Travers has been put into 1500 final after second gun debacle.

average_runner

Is there any venue in Ireland that we could host this?

28064212

average_runner wrote: »

Is there any venue in Ireland that we could host this?

Doubtful. Don't know the criteria, but looking at the last couple, the venues all have north of 10,000 capacity. The AIT arena's capacity is 2,000

average_runner

28064212 wrote: »

Doubtful. Don't know the criteria, but looking at the last couple, the venues all have north of 10,000 capacity. The AIT arena's capacity is 2,000

No venue where a temporary track can be put down?

YFlyer

Djoucer wrote: »

John Travers has been put into 1500 final after second gun debacle.

The fool went on a rant on Facebook after some guy said he made a novice mistake.

Sacksian

YFlyer wrote: »

The fool went on a rant on Facebook after some guy said he made a novice mistake.

That didn't actually happen - he responded to an ill-informed comment that suggested John Travers was the only person to react to the recall gun. He wasn't. There were two athletes that responded to the recall gun, both of whom were advanced to the final.

John's response was incredibly measured in the circumstances and anyone can read it on the AI fb page and judge for themselves.

But calling someone "a fool" is just personal abuse and I'm really not sure why you'd feel the need to go to the trouble of posting personal abuse of a senior athlete representing his country on a forum dedicated to athletics/running.

YFlyer

Sacksian wrote: »

That didn't actually happen - he responded to an ill-informed comment that suggested John Travers was the only person to react to the recall gun. He wasn't. There were two athletes that responded to the recall gun, both of whom were advanced to the final.

John's response was incredibly measured in the circumstances and anyone can read it on the AI fb page and judge for themselves.

But calling someone "a fool" is just personal abuse and I'm really not sure why you'd feel the need to go to the trouble of posting personal abuse of a senior athlete representing his country on a forum dedicated to athletics/running.

He said it is easy for you to be a critic from your seat at home. He could have quite easily put his hands up that he should have continued on like the other athletes. He said after the race that it be doubtful he be reinstated as he ran a slow race. I even ran as a juvenile, if there was a false start and you went ahead to keep on going and then when you are called back to walk back backwards.

Sacksian

YFlyer wrote: »

He said it is easy for you to be a critic from your seat at home. He could have quite easily put his hands up that he should have continued on like the other athletes. He said after the race that it be doubtful he be reinstated as he ran a slow race. I even ran as a juvenile, if there was a false start and you went ahead to keep on going and then when you are called back to walk back backwards.

That doesn’t sound like “a rant” by John and his decision to stop on hearing a recall gun doesn’t make him a “fool” - he wasn't the only athlete to stop.

The appeal officials saw it that way (as did most comments I saw). They should have been called back. If John had hared off at the start and wasted 200m of effort and they had been called back, some other captain hindsight would be weighing in online on that too.

My issue is with your tone, not the specifics of the argument. I just think it's disappointing to see someone involved in athletics calling one of our senior representatives a fool.

Criticise his tactics or performance, but name-calling is a bit, well, juvenile.

YFlyer

Sacksian wrote: »

That doesn’t sound like “a rant” by John and his decision to stop on hearing a recall gun doesn’t make him a “fool” - he wasn't the only athlete to stop.

The appeal officials saw it that way (as did most comments I saw). They should have been called back. If John had hared off at the start and wasted 200m of effort and they had been called back, some other captain hindsight would be weighing in online on that too.

My issue is with your tone, not the specifics of the argument. I just think it's disappointing to see someone involved in athletics calling one of our senior representatives a fool.

Criticise his tactics or performance, but name-calling is a bit, well, juvenile.

ok

bob11

will dowling interviews with the athletes here :
https://soundcloud.com/downwilling

Birdie Num Num

All of the athletes responded to the recall gun. Only two were at a disadvantage as they slowed right down and lost touch with others. European athletics saw that the recall gun firing was a mistake and agreed that both Acala and Travers were at a disadvantage as a result. If it was just a bang from somewhere else you might ask questions as to why they stopped but it was the recall gun that was fired. On that basis they should have easily stopped the race by 200m at the latest.

pconn062

Really hoping Ciara Mageann can pull something out of the bag tonight. She hasn't looked her best this indoor season but if the pace is slow she has a chance.

walshb

Ciara on the track now..really strong field here.

walshb

Well that was a letdown.

pconn062

She didn't look right, and hasn't looked right all indoor season. Hopefully she can push on now for the summer.

pconn062

Very difficult interview with Ciara there, not nice to watch.

On that point, I don't see the point of sticking a microphone in an athletes face straight after a bad race, especially when an injury/illness is involved. It's all a little voyeuristic. Even an hour later would give her a chance to get her thoughts together.

Krusty_Clown

Really unfortunate for Mageean, but hopefully she'll bounce back and come back stronger over the next few months. Great to watch Muir who is just astonishing. Really impressive to see her take on the race like that and run so strong.

Chivito550

It's been a grim championships for us sadly. The only real positives are the performances of Ciara Neville and Phil Healy in the 60m.

Hope Ciara is ok. She hasn't been right this indoor season as mentioned. Hopefully nothing major in her Achilles. Travers was absolutely shocking this evening, let's call a spade a spade. Difficult situation for him yesterday but he's far better than what he showed in that final.

Loved seeing Laura Muir dart away from that official who tried to stop her doing a lap of honour!

RacoonQueen

pconn062 wrote: »

Very difficult interview with Ciara there, not nice to watch.

On that point, I don't see the point of sticking a microphone in an athletes face straight after a bad race, especially when an injury/illness is involved. It's all a little voyeuristic. Even an hour later would give her a chance to get her thoughts together.

I commented on this on twiter. Bad form from RTE - give her 30 f*cking minutes to get her head together, get a hug from someone, have the injury checked out quickly. She was distraught - and could barely form a sentence as she held off the tears and frustration. Awful from RTE, didn't like that at all.

Chivito550

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I commented on this on twiter. Bad form from RTE - give her 30 f*cking minutes to get her head together, get a hug from someone, have the injury checked out quickly. She was distraught - and could barely form a sentence as she held off the tears and frustration. Awful from RTE, didn't like that at all.

It does not work like that. All athletes have to walk through the mixed zone. First are TV and radio, then written press. There's no way David Gillick should have to run after her to the team hotel later to catch an interview, and no way will she stick around for an hour for an interview she'd rather just get over and done with. It's not just RTE she has to talk to, it's all of the media including written press. It's an obligation one has as an athlete and she knows this and I can't imagine she would have any issues with it either. There's people there just trying to do their jobs.

average_runner

Chivito550 wrote: »

It does not work like that. All athletes have to walk through the mixed zone. First are TV and radio, then written press. There's no way David Gillick should have to run after her to the team hotel later to catch an interview, and no way will she stick around for an hour for an interview she'd rather just get over and done with. It's not just RTE she has to talk to, it's all of the media including written press. It's an obligation one has as an athlete and she knows this and I can't imagine she would have an issues with it either.

If it was a rich sports star they would tell the media where to go, which happens most in the UK.

No one wants to see an interview like that. Leave the girl alone for a little while.

RacoonQueen

average_runner wrote: »

If it was a rich sports star they would tell the media where to go, which happens most in the UK.

No one wants to see an interview like that. Leave the girl alone for a little while.

Absolutely. No way she'll have been happy to be interviewed at that time in that state. They could have interviewed her another time, absolutely no need for that, doesn't have to be done directly after the event. Disgusting really.

roseybear

Chivito550 wrote: »

It's an obligation one has as an athlete and she knows this and I can't imagine she would have an issues with it either. There's people there just trying to do their jobs.

Im not sure they do have an obligation. It might be expected but have never heard that there's anything in writing saying they have to do it. As you say, I'm sure she doesn't have an issue doing it, but it might have been a bit more tactful to avoid doing it live. had they interviewed her immediately, as they did, but delayed airing it until they had the chance to hear her responses and see her reaction they could assess the situation and then determine if it is of benefit to the athlete and the viewers to see the response. Gillick could then have just reported what she had said rather than showing it to everyone. Reminds me of Annalise Murphy after her 4th place. Obviously no one knows how someone is going to feel post race but it might be something for RTE to consider in the future.

Chivito550

Seriously, take it up with the EAA and IAAF. They're the ones who design the media process. David Gillick is only doing his job. That's the only time he can interview her unless you want him chasing after her around the complex. Once an athlete leaves the mixed zone they are near impossible to chase down. This is the only opportunity for broadcasters and journalists to do their jobs. I'm no defender of RTE in general, but they did nothing wrong here. Every other TV network is doing the same and Ciara isn't the only disappointed athlete to walk through the mixed zone this weekend.

In theory they aren't obligated to talk to anyone but everyone does, because they are for the most part decent folk.

It wasn't even that bad of an interview. I've seen worse. Remember Mad Len announcing his retirement from the sport post London Olympics. He won a Euro indoor medal 6 months later. She'll be fine. She's been through far worse and she's tough, resilient and talented. Sport is about highs and lows. We take the good with the bad.

In order for RTE to let her gather her thoughts first, logistically she would have had to stay out on the track for 30 minutes or so as she has to eventually walk through that mixed zone. No way would she have wanted to do that.

Just stating how the process works. You can dislike the process and that's fine, but unless you want journalists hounding athletes at the warm down track and team hotel then this is the best way. RTE have done nothing wrong here. They have just followed protocol.

average_runner

Chivito550 wrote: »

Seriously, take it up with the EAA and IAAF. They're the ones who design the media process. David Gillick is only doing his job. That's the only time he can interview her unless you want him chasing after her around the complex. Once an athlete leaves the mixed zone they are near impossible to chase down. This is the only opportunity for broadcasters and journalists to do their jobs. I'm no defender of RTE in general, but they did nothing wrong here. Every other TV network is doing the same and Ciara isn't the only disappointed athlete to walk through the mixed zone this weekend.

In theory they aren't obligated to talk to anyone but everyone does, because they are for the most part decent folk.

It wasn't even that bad of an interview. I've seen worse. Remember Mad Len announcing his retirement from the sport post London Olympics. He won a Euro indoor medal 6 months later. She'll be fine. She's been through far worse and she's tough, resilient and talented. Sport is about highs and lows. We take the good with the bad.

In order for RTE to let her gather her thoughts first, logistically she would have had to stay out on the track for 30 minutes or so as she has to eventually walk through that mixed zone. No way would she have wanted to do that.

Just stating how the process works. You can dislike the process and that's fine, but unless you want journalists hounding athletes at the warm down track and team hotel then this is the best way. RTE have done nothing wrong here. They have just followed protocol.

While you make valid points you miss one thing. Rte didn't have to do that interview and it achieved nothing. It just shows rte in more bad light.

average_runner

Chivito550 wrote: »

Seriously, take it up with the EAA and IAAF. They're the ones who design the media process. David Gillick is only doing his job. That's the only time he can interview her unless you want him chasing after her around the complex. Once an athlete leaves the mixed zone they are near impossible to chase down. This is the only opportunity for broadcasters and journalists to do their jobs. I'm no defender of RTE in general, but they did nothing wrong here. Every other TV network is doing the same and Ciara isn't the only disappointed athlete to walk through the mixed zone this weekend.

In theory they aren't obligated to talk to anyone but everyone does, because they are for the most part decent folk.

It wasn't even that bad of an interview. I've seen worse. Remember Mad Len announcing his retirement from the sport post London Olympics. He won a Euro indoor medal 6 months later. She'll be fine. She's been through far worse and she's tough, resilient and talented. Sport is about highs and lows. We take the good with the bad.

In order for RTE to let her gather her thoughts first, logistically she would have had to stay out on the track for 30 minutes or so as she has to eventually walk through that mixed zone. No way would she have wanted to do that.

Just stating how the process works. You can dislike the process and that's fine, but unless you want journalists hounding athletes at the warm down track and team hotel then this is the best way. RTE have done nothing wrong here. They have just followed protocol.

While you make valid points you miss one thing. Rte didn't have to do that interview and it achieved nothing. It just shows rte in more bad light.

Chivito550

average_runner wrote: »

While you make valid points you miss one thing. Rte didn't have to do that interview and it achieved nothing. It just shows rte in more bad light.

You'd then have people moaning that she wasn't interviewed. Our top star not interviewed post race with loads tuning in hoping to get her reaction. Wasting tax payers money yada yada yada. Can't win.

Djoucer

Thought it was a good interview myself. It was honest, it was raw and far more informative than any interview that occurs during a press conference an hour later.

The interview distils athletics to its very core, to its harshness, to its unfairness. It's all about who is best on the day. No-one cares about who you beat last week, last month. Did you win when it mattered?

And that's why interviews immediately after a race/match reveals more than any sit down interview, profile, press conference.

There's no league campaign, no opportunity to bounce back. That's it. Game over. If you object to the interview, you should object to the winner takes all approach in athletics. There's no second chances. And that's the appeal. See you in two/four years.

Chivito550

Djoucer wrote: »

Thought it was a good interview myself. It was honest, it was raw and far more informative than any interview that occurs during a press conference an hour later.

The interview distils athletics to its very core, to its harshness, to its unfairness. It's all about who is best on the day. No-one cares about who you beat last week, last month. Did you win when it mattered?

And that's why interviews immediately after a race/match reveals more than any sit down interview, profile, press conference.

There's no league campaign, no opportunity to bounce back. That's it. Game over. If you object to the interview, you should object to the winner takes all approach in athletics. There's no second chances. And that's the appeal. See you in two/four years.

+1

Thought she handled the interview fantastically. She didn't need to apologise for anything, but other than that, I thought she gave an honest interview. No bullsh1t. I doubt she cares that RTE interviewed her, and in no way has she given it a second thought.

It's just a blip. It's all about outdoors in this sport, either on the track or in the marathon. Indoors and cross country is just a lead up to these. She'll be fine. Jerry Kiernan may say some daft stuff (albeit entertaining) but he's no fool and he'll manage this blip well I've no doubt.

unichick

Didn't the same happen Sonia walking off the track after feeling sick &'there was no interview until much after. Poor Ciara. I hope she's ok.

George Hamilton is the most overused broadcaster & he misses glaringly obvious things in athletics. Can someone else with a passion for it not do it? Whatever happened that man who used to co commentate with him? He was extremely knowledgable. Love Jerry in studio & Derval.